Daily chess puzzle: Check Mate #150

Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.

White to play and mate Black

Tolush v Flohr, Kiev 1944

Solution

Megabase tells me the puzzle is a variation from the game, not the game itself. In the game White played Kg1-f1 not Kg1-h1; the game was drawn.

I found this one difficult, finding it hard to choose between 1…Nf4 and 1…Ne3, until I realised that 1…Nf4?? is bad (losing) because when the Bc1 takes the N, it does so on f4, watching h2. So 1…Ne3! 2 Nc6

2…Nf3 and it is mate after a few spite checks.

FEN

2kr4/pp3p1Q/2q1p3/3nN3/3P3n/1P5P/P4Pr1/R1B1R2K b – – 0 23